Detachable light for vehicle-curtains



D. M. WINANS.

DETACHABLE LIGHT FOR VEHICLE CURTAINS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL M. WINANS, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BREWER-TITCHENER CORPORATION, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

DETACHABLE LIGHT FOR VEHICLE-CURTAINS.

Application filed December 1, 1917.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL M. lVINANs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Binghamton, county of Broome, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable Lights forVehicle-Curtains, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is the provision of an improvedlight or pane holder for the curtain of a vehicle, whereby the light orpane may be readily set or removed, which will securely hold the lightto the curtain and prevent rattling or looseness of the parts, whetherthe pane be of celluloid or of glass.

In carrying out the invention I provide inner and outer pane-holdingrings adapted to clamp against opposite sides of the curtain and to holdthe edge of the pane, and that portion of the curtain surrounding thepane, between them. One of the rings, preferably the outer one, carriesa plurality of nuts which are of novel form and are held by the ring inan improved manner, without the use of solder, removable screws passingthrough openings in the remaining ring and through holes in the curtainand being engaged with the nuts aforesaid.

The outer ring has a smooth finished ap pearance and provides a neat andprotective border for the pane; the inner ring is neat and disclosesonly the screw-heads; if of wood, the inner ring and screws may beentirely covered by the inside lining of the curtain.

Preferably the margin of the pane or light will be of just suflicientsize to abut, or substantially so, the-shanks of the screws where saidmarginal portion of the pane lies between the inner and the outer rings.The pane is thus held, not only by the clamping action of the rings, butalso by the confining action of the screws. By doing away with holes inthe marginal portion'of the pane, I eliminate the expense of providinsuch holes and the difliculty encountered in having them register withthe screws.

The nuts are held by ears on the ring, said ears being bent down intonotched portions of the nuts. While not essential, the notches may bewider than the ears so that the screws will readily find the screwthreads in the nuts and the latter will be self-adjust- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 204,945.

ing. This feature facilitates the removal of the parts. The nuts are ofpeculiar and improved form, their center portions serving as abutmentsto bear on the curtain, and their notched end portions conforming to theshape of the ring; consequently, the nuts are securely held by the earsand a strong construction is provided.

Preferably both outer and inner rings are arched in cross-section, sothat their peripheral edges only hear on the curtain and light;consequently the tension of the screws, which is exerted at the centralportions of the inner ring and of the nuts, is distributed through theclamping edges of the rings and the screws can be made very tightwithout danger'of breakage, if a glass pane or light is used.

The embodiments of the invention which are shown in the drawings andhereinafter described are susceptible of modification and are to beconsidered as illustrative of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view looking toward the outside of a curtain provided withthe invention, a glass pane being shown;

Fig. 2, is a view looking toward the inside of the curtain;

Fig. 3, is a vertical section through the connecting screws, the innerring being removed;

Fig. 4, is a view looking toward the inside of the outer ring, certainones of the ears being shown turned back;

Fig. 5, is a detail View showing the manner of holding the nuts;

Fig. 6, is a detail cross-section through the pane, curtain andpane-holding means;

Fig. 7, is a detail view of a portion of the outer ring showing a pairof the ears;

Fig. 8, is a detail perspective of one of the nuts, and

Fig. 9 is a detail cross section through the pane, curtain, andpane-holding means of a modified form of the invention.

A portion of the curtain of an automobile or other vehicle is shown at1, and the pane or light at 2. I have illustrated a beveled plate glasspane, but the invention is intended for use in connection with celluloidpanes or any transparent pane.

The pane is held by inner and outer rings 3, 4:. The present pane 2being circular, the

rings 3, at are annular. I wish it understood, however, that the pane 2may be elliptical, circular, rectangular, or of any other shape, andthat the rings 3, 4: will vary in shape according to the shape of thepane. l Vhen calling these elements rings in the specification andclaim, I do not limit myself to a circular shape, and intend to embraceall shapes to which the invention is adaptable.

The rings 3 and 4c are of metal, preferably stampings. The outer ring 4:is provided with prongs 5 which enter slits 6 in the curtain 1 and areclamped down as shown in Fig. 3, to hold the ring against turning. Thisouter ring is provided at intervals with ears 7, which are originally inthe position shown at 7, Fig. 4:. These ears are adapted to be bent downas shown at 7", Figs. 4 and 5, to hold the nuts 8, shown in detail inFigs. 5 and 8. The nuts 8 are of metal, preferably stampings, providedwith a raised central portion 8 which ,has a screw threaded hole 8 andthey have end portions 8" which bear against the inner face of the ring3 and are provided with notches 8 adapted to receive the ears 7" whenthe latter are bent down. All that is necessary to secure the nuts tothe ring 4: is to place them within the ring and bend down the ears 7into the notches 8. The nuts can neither move within the ring nor becomedetached from it. I prefer to have the notches S wider than the ears 7to permit a slight adjustment so that the nuts will be self-adjusting toenable the screws 9 to readily enter the threaded holes 8 but theinvention is not limited to this feature.

The screws 9 correspond in number to the nuts 8 and pass through theholes 10 in the inner ring 3, the heads of the screws being preferablycountersunk, and their tips 9 being coned so that they will readily findthe screw-threaded openings 8 The ring 8, being of metal, will possesssome slight resiliency or yield, consequently the screws 9 can bescrewed home quite tightly, the pressure being applied to the curtainand the pane at the peripheral edges of the rings 3 and 4 withoutlikelihood of damage to the pane 2 if the latter is of glass. The edgeof the pane 2 abuts the screws, or sub stantially so, and thus preventsvertical displacement of the pane.

My invention dispenses entirely with the necessity for soldering orbrazing the nuts 8 to the ring 4, thus greatly-reducing the expense ofmanufacturing and eliminating entirely the likelihood of inaccuratespacing of the nuts due to their manner of securement.

Then a large and heavy bevel plate glass light is used, it may benecessary to more securely fasten it to the curtain 1, the modifiedinner ring shown in Fig. 9, being particularly adapted for use in thatconnection. The wooden inner ring 3 is tacked to the curtain 1 as at l,the screws 9 are passed through holes in the ring 3 and into thescrew-holes in the nuts 8. A lining 1 whose edge is clamped between thepane 2 and the ring 3, covers the inner face of the ring and the screwheads.

The ring 3 being wide and tacked to the curtain, reinforces the latteraround the light opening and affords a wide backing for the marginalportion of the heavy light, thus minimizing sagging of the curtain.

My invention is not limited to the use of metal for the rings; and,further, the inner ring may be either exposed or covered.

Vs hen the screws are released the pane can be immediately removed andanother substituted at the cost of a few minutes time and a substitutepane.

What is claimed is:

Means for securing detachable lights to vehicle curtains comprisingrings which ar arched in cross-sectional shape, nuts carried by one ofsaid rings, said nuts having raised central portions provided with screwthreaded openings and with notched angular end portions bearing againstthe ring, the said ring having ears received in the arched portions andholding the nuts within the ring, the other ring being provided withopenings, and screws having tapered ends, said screws being received. inthe openings in the last-named ring and passing through the curtain andengaged with the screw threaded openings in the nuts, the screws beinglocated beyond the edge of the light and holding it against verticaldis-- placement, said light and curtain being clamped between the rings.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature. 7

DANIEL M. NINANS.

